SL on Cell Phones

Some cell phones now support streaming television, broadband access, fairly complex video games, and even PDA-like features. Could a usable SL client ever be developed for these phones, especially the ones with larger screens? Would any of you be interested in using SL like that?

To stretch that to another level, what about superimposing a virtual world, such as part of SL, over a stretch of RL land, and develop a game or training system that links the two? (See, for example, http://www.wistechnology.com/article.php?id=1517)

And, for something a bit less "out there": Many cell phones now support text messaging, and even connecting to services like Yahoo Messenger or AIM. This could potentially be wired into SL's instant message system, so users can be reachable via IM when they are away from their computer.

In fact, this could be done now using offline messages and the email support that most cell phones now have. Has anyone tried this? What is the limit (if any) to the number of offline messages sent or received? And finally, is there a way to IM or message a person in-world via email without replying to an IM they sent?

I chat in the #secondlife IRC Chatroom (Efnet IRC Network) on my cellphone at DisneyWorld and Universal Studios all the time

I've been thinking about making a cellphone chat client for SL myself, but that's a project behind many other projects as I'd need to learn Java I know many cellphones don't support java socket connections, and only do http. And many java programs on cellphones can only synchronously access the internet, so the program will freeze for awhile to do do comms, then let you actually work.

I'd probably bet on seeing something more practical on a PocketPC device. There is a lot more computing power there, and with wireless networks popping up (and some PocketPCs with integrated PCS network connectivity), you'll probably see connections to SL there first.

On a somewhat related note, it is possible to play Second Life on a laptop using a cell phone as a wireless modem connected to PCS.

GPRS connection speeds are far too poor for this software, though. You'd have to be on either 3G or one of the new T-Mobile wi-fi hotspots they're building all over the place

The system that I can see would be most feasible would be an interface between a Jabber server and the SL IM system. AgileMessenger for Symbian phones supports the open-source instant messaging protocol, and transports between it and MSN, ICQ, AOL and Yahoo have already been developed and are in widespread use - an SL IM one wouldn't be difficult for a programmer to create.

The advantages that XMPP (Jabber) has over proprietary systems like the aforementioned MSN etc. are that it is completely open-source, leaving developers free to use it for any application they see fit, it uses understandable standard XML formatting and the connection is far more robust for mobile applications - it caches messages and delivers them to you when you get out of the railway tunnel!

I wouldn't recommend going to a big club all dressed up with hoochie hair. But I've chatted, moved about, and even built on just under 200kbps. Not well, but well enough to smile.

Which network supports that speed? I know that the new 3G ones support up to 300kbps, but I don't know where you are in RL. Also, only Orange and Vodafone 3G allow connections to the outside internet, 3 only allow access to their own "walled garden" of multimedia content.

Strangely enough, Sprint in the U.S. While Sprint no longer recommends it (it was stealing business from their own portal to the web), third party software can access a throughput of about 192kbps.

months ago, i got an email from linden lab (lol i think) with a survey. part of it was the question, "would you be interested in sl on your cellphone?"...or words to that effect...i believe theyre thinking about it.

This would be the deciding factor which would push me to getting a blackberry.

I develop cell phone games for a living now, so I know a little about the subject...

The new 3G phones (the ones that can stream video, such as the LG VX8000) are reasonably fast and OpenGL-capable. However, they still have a fairly limited amount of RAM (the VX8000 has 32MB) and for this reason alone, I don't think a full, graphical SL client could really be a reality on those phones.

And those are the most expensive phones out right now. The VX8000 is $350 with a service contract. Your average entry-level phone (such as my own LG C1300) has only a 3MHz CPU and uses Java!

An IM-only client, on the other hand, might be realistic.